
1.4K
NOApproximately 93% of breast cancers (including TNBC) are marked by a sugar-protein (glycoprotein) called MUC1. This mucin will often be cleaved off and become soluble.
The tumor markers CA15-3 and CA27.29, which oncologists sometimes use to monitor breast tumor growth, are both actually measuring the levels of soluble MUC1. However, these two markers cannot be used interchangeably.
For years, cancer researchers have attempted to target MUC1 with vaccines and it was finally discovered that because MUC1 breaks off from the cell surface, the targeted therapies would have to attach to the MUC1 “nubs” left over on cancer cells. Minerva Biotechnologies is calling these “nubs” MUC1*.
Minerva has developed two CAR-T designed to attach to different places on MUC1*. According to a 2024 ASCO Abstract, about 40% of MBC express enough MUC1* to be eligible for this CAR-T clinical trial. There has not been an update on this trial, being run at City of Hope in SoCal, since 2024 but it is still listed on Minerva’s website pipeline.
#muc1 #stage4needsmore
#metastaticbreastcancer #tnbccommunity #tnbc
@north.star.cancer.advocacy










